You Promised
by Ashamane15
Summary: Just before their last battle, two paladins have a heart-to-heart, but things go south. Otherwise known as the angst I couldn't get out of my head. Might do a part 2 later... Idk. UPDATE: I'm going to continue this.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So... I haven't posted in... Fuck, like... 3 months? Well, I'm alive! Only on the outside.**

 **Anyway, I wanted to post something before season 8, and I got really angsty and this idea popped into my head. So... Angst! I hope this breaks your heart as much as it broke mine while writing it...**

* * *

"Keith, wait up!" Lance shouted from behind him. Keith jumped, casting a look over his shoulder. Sure enough, his fellow paladin was jogging toward him. He let Lance catch up before continuing toward his room.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to keep his nerves out of the question.

"There's… something I need to tell you. You know, before we go and… Uh..." Keith's gut twisted for the hundredth time that day. The day they would finally take out the Galra witch.

"Kill the witch?" Keith supplied.

Lance rubbed the back of his neck, saying, "Uh… Yeah. That." A short silence descended. "Can… Can we go somewhere more… private?" Keith felt the red rising to his cheeks. He gave a quick nod, then they ducked into the first room they came to. Coincidentally, it was Lance's.

"So…" Keith said after a long moment of looking at the floor.

"Keith, I like you!" Lance blurted. Keith snapped his head up so fast his neck hurt. Something… _strange_ … settled in the pit of his stomach.

"What?" he whispered. Thoughts started warring in his mind.

"I… I like you… A lot... I don't know when it started, but for some reason, after you left for the Blades, I just… figured it out, and I needed you to know… I really care about you…"

"No," Keith said, whirling and striding to the door.

"Keith, wait!" Lance lunged and seized Keith's wrist. "Please…"

"No. You should stay away from me…" He looked back to the Cuban teen, and immediately regretted it. Lance's expression was pure heartbreak.

"Stay away from you?" he said, weak and defeated.

"Trust me, it's better this way."

"No!" Tears streamed from Lance's ocean eyes. "You can't keep pushing people away!"

"But every time I open up to someone, they leave!" he yelled. The room was still and silent in an instant.

"Keith…" Lance let go of his arm, but Keith still stayed.

"My mom left, my dad died, the foster families didn't give a shit about me, then Shiro came and he left and I thought he was dead, then he came back and died again and when I found my mother, she left just like everyone I cared about!" Keith was a mess. A crying, vulnerable mess with a cracking voice, bearing a heart that had been broken too many times over. "That's why I build walls, why I always distanced myself… I can't let you in… I don't want to lose you, too…" Without warning, Lance wrapped his arms around Keith. He buried his face in Lance's shoulder and cried.

"You won't. I'm not going anywhere. First, we're going to kill that witch, then I'm gonna help you work out all your shit and I _will_ see you smile again. If you don't let me in yet, that's fine, but please… You have to try." His voice was so kind and his arms were so warm…

Keith lifted his head and kissed Lance. Hard. His anger, his frustration, his worries, he threw them all off and let his walls crumble. Lance carefully threaded his fingers through the hair at the nape of Keith's neck. After what seemed like forever, the paladins broke apart, both breathless. Keith buried his face in Lance's chest, sobbing again.

"Keith…" Lance whispered. "I won't leave you. I promise." He pressed another, softer kiss to Keith's forehead. "Now, how about we take out that witch once and for all?" Keith nodded silently, and the two parted to prepare for battle. For the first time in a very long time, Keith had a thread of hope to hold onto.

Voltron won. The witch died, thanks to Lance and a clean shot from above. The paladins fought their way back to the Lions and lifted off, taking out as many fighters as possible. Still, they were overwhelmed. Everyone was absorbed in protecting themselves, so no one really noticed the ion cannon aimed at the Black Lion. Well, no one but Lance.

"Keith, watch out!" he yelled. Without a second thought, he took the hit.

"Lance!" everyone screamed. The beam from the cannon rammed into the Lion, throwing it into the surface of a nearby planet. Keith took out the ship with his jaw blade while the others finished off the remaining fighters.

"Everyone, find Lance!" Keith shouted. He tried not to let his fear show. The remaining Lions rushed to the Red Lion, half buried in a crater. The paladins all exited their Lions, rushing into the cockpit. Lance wasn't there.

"Lance? Lance, come in!" Hunk shouted. Everyone waited, desperate to hear the boy's voice. Nothing came. A somber silence settled over the paladins.

"Start searching the planet for any sign of him," Keith ordered quietly. "I'll take the Red Lion back." Everyone nodded, but no one else said a word. Keith climbed into his Lion, carefully lifted Red, and headed for the ship. He placed Red in his hangar, then returned Black to hers. He didn't know what to do. What to think. He couldn't bring himself to look for Lance, not after what happened earlier. Whatever hope, whatever faith he'd made the mistake of having, was crushed and scattered to the winds.

He wandered the ship, alone with his thoughts. He found himself outside of Lance's room. His heart broke a little more as he stepped in, seeing Lance's favorite jacket on the bed. Tears blurred his peripheral vision. The fabric of the jacket was well-worn, well-loved. It… It still smelled like him. Keith clutched the jacket with white knuckles and fell to his knees, sobbing.

"Why?" he whispered. "Why you? Why now? After… After what you said… And…" His voice caught in his throat. He cried, he screamed, but no one heard. "Dammit, Lance… Why did I have to fall so hard? It happened so fast…" A painful sob wrenched itself from his throat. He rose the jacket to his eyes as the tears came faster and faster. His throat was so raw, he could only choke out two words:

"You promised…"

* * *

 **... Sorry not sorry. This whole thing was inspired by a really vivid image from a dream. It was a sad Keith on his knees in full armor, holding Lance's jacket in the dark while crying into it and saying 'You promised.' Someone who has actual artistic skills, please make this picture in my head a reality so I can keep it forever and cry when I look at it. I probably won't continue this, but I have a vague idea of where this could go... If you're interested in a second part, please tell me, cuz I won't do one otherwise.**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **-Ash**_


	2. Chapter 2

Keith didn't know how long he stayed there, crying into the empty jacket. He just did, not moving, until Shiro came to find him. "Keith?" he said softly from the doorway. "Are you okay?"

"No," he croaked in response, the word barely audible. His voice was worn and rough, and it felt like he was breathing sandpaper. The salty tear tracks on his face have been dry for a while, since he had no tears to cry anymore. He didn't know how long ago that was. Time didn't really matter anymore, now that Lance… He was…

"I… heard. About Lance." An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

"Before... He… he said-" He took a shuddering breath before breaking again.

"I know… how he felt. We talked a while ago." He paused for a moment. "I also knew you'd push him away… Like you do to everyone." Startled, Keith raised his eyes to look at Shiro.

"How? How did you know that?"

"I know _you_ , Keith. I watched you grow up. I know how guarded you are, maybe better than you do." Shiro gave a little chuckle. "It… it hurt, watching you run from anyone who tried to get close. But eventually, you have to stop running. I really hoped that he'd be the one to finally break down your walls." Keith felt a sudden weight and looked to see Shiro's floating prosthetic gently rubbing his shoulder.

"He's gone, Shiro…" Keith muttered.

"We don't know that-"

"He promised! He promised he wouldn't leave!" In an instant, the grief turned to rage. He lurched to his feet, and immediately regretted it. Both of his legs were asleep, and when he stood, pins and needles shot through his muscles. His legs wouldn't support him, so he crashed back his knees. Something fell out of the jacket pocket, clattering to the floor. All the heat from his rush of anger fizzled into a sort of curiosity.

"Wait, what's that?" Shiro sent his metallic arm to pick up the small, familiar device.

"It looks Altean. Allura might know. I can call her back and ask…"

"The others came back hours ago, Keith." His tired eyes grew wide.

"How… how long was I here?" He poked at his thigh, and every touch made his skin tingle down to his toes.

"Long enough to lose all feeling in your legs," Shiro said, offering a small smile.

"Help me up?" Keith extended a hand, and Shiro gladly took it, helping Keith onto his unsteady feet.

"We should go see Allura and the others… whenever you're ready," Shiro glanced down at him. Keith let out a huff of air that could have been a laugh.

"Do I look that bad?"

"You've been crying for hours, Keith. You're probably dehydrated," Shiro stated. He paused, looked at Keith, then added, "and yes, you do look that bad." Keith growled and threw a weak, playful punch into his brother's arm.

"Bathroom?" Shiro chuckled again.

"Sure." With that, the two staggered out of the room and to the bathrooms of the Altas. Keith took the time to calm himself and splash some water in his face. Slowly, his voice and the feeling in his legs started to return. He took a few deep breaths, then spoke.

"Shiro? Can you call the paladins to the meeting room? Just us, the others, and Coran?"

"Of course."

"I'll be there in five minutes." Keith watched his brother's face through the mirror.

"Take your time, Keith." Shiro nodded, then left him alone with Lance's device. He turned it in his hands, over and over and over. Time dragged on slowly. Keith took a deep breath and tried to tame his messy hair with his fingers. He stepped out of the bathroom and put on a mask of indifference. He passed many of the crew on his way to the small meeting room, but at the door, he hesitated. A muscle tightened in his jaw. He steeled himself, then opened the door. Everyone was already there and seated. Coran and Allura on the right, Hunk and Pidge on the left, and Shiro at the table's head. Keith didn't sit. Silence and grief hung in the air, making the room feel crowded and empty at the same time.

"I'm going to get straight to the point. I found something in Lance's room," Keith said bluntly, producing the device. "Allura, Coran, do you know what this is?"

"Yes, that's a video recording device, just like the one the paladins recorded their messages home on. The one we sent with Sam. He asked for one when Hunk did. I assumed he wished to record his own messages for his family, but those were sent on that single device with the rest. I never knew what happened to the other." Allura reached for the device, so Keith set it in her hand. After fiddling with it for a moment, her eyes widened a fraction. "There seems to be a number of recordings on it."

"Why did Lance have that?" Pidge asked, her voice small and subdued.

"Yeah, what's on it?" Hunk asked after.

"Let us see," Allura said, flipping on the device. A still image of Lance appeared, and everyone's breath caught at once. He was there, a sad smile on his face. His ocean eyes seemed darker than usual and his normally neat hair was all over the place. He was close to the camera, like he was just turning it on.

"Lance…" someone whispered. Keith wasn't sure who. It may have been him. He couldn't tell because of the warmth that bubbled in his chest. Allura pressed play on the first video, and the image began to move. It leaned back from the camera and took a deep breath. Lance waved to the camera before speaking a single, hoarse word.

"Hey."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So... I decided to continue this. I kind of took an idea I've been working with in the background and adapted it to the situation, but basically, I'm turning the angst onto each of the others, one at a time. I actually know where I want this to go! Oh, and this will disregard most of what happened in season 8. Not that I didn't like it, but... It felt too forced, you know?**

 **Updates won't be scheduled, but I'm going to try to keep working until I actually finish it.**

 **Maybe. Time will tell.**

 **Until next time...**

 _ **-Ash**_


	3. Entry One: Goodbye

Everyone gaped at the image. It was Lance, unkempt and… _sad._ Lance was the bubbly, happy, jokester that kept them all sane, not whoever this was. But it was still Lance, just a side of himself he never trusted the paladins to see. Staring at the projection, Keith was shaking, almost imperceptibly. The black paladin's face was steeled against emotion, and only Shiro could see the pain, the worry, the _longing_ in his violet eyes.

"Hey," the image said, the voice hollow and low. It was so unlike Lance to be this quiet and reserved. "You're probably wondering what this is. And why you found this in my room… I always leave it out while we're on a mission. Just the thought that… you know, thinking maybe if I leave tonight, I won't come back. So if anyone's watching this, it means I haven't put it away… which would only mean one thing… Something happened to me. Something… _bad_."

"This… this is…" Pidge choked. The video Lance sighed in the background.

"It's a death note," Shiro finished.

Sadly, Hunk added, "For us…"

"I mean, this is an intergalactic war," Lance continued. "A space war with giant sentient mechanical Lions, which makes it awesome, but it's still a war. And… people still die."

"Why would he record something like this?" Allura asked. The same hollow sadness that Lance spoke with was seeping into her voice. No one answered.

"I recorded a bunch of messages on here. Seven, to be exact." Lance held up his pinky finger. "This is video one. The rest go in this order. Two is Shiro, and three, Pidge." He counted the numbers off on his fingers. "Then Hunk is four, Coran and Allura are five, Six is for my family back home. To Mamá, and Marco and Luis and Veronica, Rachel, Papá… Everyone." Lance took a shuddering breath. "And seven…" His voice trailed off, and he slowly lowered his hands. "You'll… you'll know who you are." Keith felt like his chest was caught in a vice, but he still showed nothing. "Anyway, whoever's watching, you can switch to your video now." The video froze on the last frame, leaving the room as still as the image.

"So, what do we do?" Hunk asked. Though he spoke quietly, barely above a whisper, the tiny sound shattered the silence.

"Do… Do we watch them? Privately? Together?" Pidge followed.

"I say we each choose how to watch our own," Shiro offered. "I'll watch mine with all of you, but I won't force you to see it if you don't want."

No one moved.

"These are his last words to us… I want you all to hear mine, too." Hunk wouldn't look at any of them, instead focusing his gaze on the table.

"Same here," Pidge said with a nod.

"I am in agreement as well," Allura whispered.

"So am I." Coran's usually cheery voice was low and heavy.

Everyone looked to Keith. He was motionless for a long moment, then he gave a small nod and took the remaining seat. "Let's do it," he mumbled.

Allura flipped to the next video, starting with another still image of Lance. Everyone took a deep breath, waiting as Allura pressed play.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy new year! *faint sounds of air horns and party poppers in the background***

 **I know this one is short, but it was supposed to be the prologue in the first iteration of this story. I couldn't bring myself to scrap ot or make it longer, so... yeah, this is it for now. Sorry! I promise the next chapters will be longer, so please, bear with me for now. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.**

 **Until next time...**

 _ **-Ash**_

 **P.S. Yes, I am back in school, and yes, I am posting this while I'm supposed to be working.**


	4. Entry Two: Shiro

_Entry Two: Shiro_

"Number two. Shiro…" the video Lance took a deep, steadying breath. "Shiro, you were my hero." His face turned thoughtful for a moment as he said, "Hey, that rhymed…" He shook his head, further messing up his already messy hair. "Not important. Anyway, ever since I was just a little kid, I looked up to you. Even in Cuba, I heard stories about the youngest pilot in Garrison history shattering the simulator record and every other record there was to break." Shiro felt a few eyes turn to him. Heat rose to his face at the praise and attention of the lost paladin. You made me fall in love with space, you helped me realize that I wanted to be a pilot, exploring the universe with my trusty crew behind me. So I enrolled in the Garrison. I wanted to fly, I wanted to be remembered… I wanted to be great. Just like you…" The boy's holographic face fell into sadness.

"Lance…" Shiro whispered. He desperately wished that he could reach through the recording and console the boy.

"I tried and tried as hard as I could. I didn't care when people told me I'd never do it. Eventually, I made it. I was a fighter pilot!" Lance beamed at the memory, and that made everyone else smile, if only for a second. "When I told Mamá over the phone, she would have hugged me to death if she could have. My brothers and sisters were proud of me, and older siblings can be hard to impress. Even my two-year-old nephew was excited for me! Dios mío, that child is adorable…" His face fell again as he realized something. His expression said it for him, and so did Hunk.

"Sylvio… He's never going to see him again…" The crack in Hunk's usually steady voice was heartbreaking in itself, let alone the words that caused it.

"Shiro, I always thought I would be able to meet you once I got into the Garrison, but then Kerberos happened… and… well, you know the rest. No, you _lived_ the rest. Meeting you that day, the five of us in Keith's little desert shack, it was _literally_ a dream come true. That feels like it was so long ago, when we first came together and then I…" Lance furrowed his brow. "I flew us across the universe in a giant psychic alien warship shaped like a lion… That is a really weird sentence now that I say it out loud…" A few of the paladins chuckled.

"It _is_ a little crazy…" Keith muttered. A ghost of a smile pulled at Shiro's lips.

"I mean, the three of us just snuck out of the Garrison that night…" Pidge added. "How would we know that one broken curfew would lead us… well, here…"

"It was my fault that we all got stuck halfway across the universe," Lance said suddenly. Any lightheartedness in the room vanished as he spoke again. "Everyone on the team has their thing, you know? Pidge is the tiny, adorable genius who can make anything work," Pidge squeaked, embarrassed, "Hunk's the engineer, the most amazing cook, and my best friend in the whole universe," Hunk blushed, "You're the steadfast leader and our awesome space dad," Shiro huffed a quick laugh, "Allura's a freaking _alien princess_ and an amazing paladin," Allura smiled sadly, "and Keith's a damn good fighter and a first-class pilot." Keith's jaw clenched.

"He… he really thought that about us?" Shiro asked.

"Space dad…" Pidge giggled despite the somber atmosphere.

"But me?" Lance continued, "I'm none of that. I'm the one who launched us into space. I'm the placeholder, the loose end. I'm just… I'm a first-class letdown."

"Lance, no!" Hunk yelled. "That's not true!"

The recording didn't acknowledge him. It just kept playing. "When we joined this war, you were so… cool. About everything. You were the last one to panic and the first one to jump into a fight with both feet. You were the serious one, and I… wasn't. I just made everything into a joke. You probably thought that I was just immature, that I wasn't good enough to be called a paladin of Voltron."

"Shut up! You know none of that is true!" Hunk yelled, surging to his feet. He slammed both of his huge palms on the table, making the entire thing shake. Shiro grabbed the recorder from the center of the table, freezing the video with the press of a button, then setting it on the table again.

"Hunk," Shiro said, laying a steadying hand on his shoulder. "I understand how you're feeling, I really do, but this is just a pre-recorded message. He can't hear you."

"But you guys can, and that stuff isn't true!"

"Of course it's not!" Pidge cried. "Lance was the one who always supported whatever I was doing, even if he just pretended to understand."

"He helped me with whatever I asked, no matter how obscure," Coran added.

"He made sure we never lost sight of who we are in the middle of war," Allura said.

"We would have gone insane a long time ago without him." Keith muttered.

"See? He was the glue that kept us together. Everyone here understands, even if we didn't realize it at the time." Hunk's lip quivered, then he sank back into his seat. Silver tears welled behind his eyes. He nodded to continue, and Pidge gently patted his hand under the table. The image of Lance stirred again, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Shiro, I can't thank you enough for being there for the team. You're everything I aspired to be, a born leader. First, the black paladin of Voltron, then Captain of the Atlas. You have a long road ahead of you, as long as you don't die again." Lance laughed at his own joke. "Anyway, it was an honor to work beside you. I'm going to miss that… and you. All that's left to say is goodbye… So, goodbye Shiro. And thanks for never giving up on me." Lance smiled sadly as he reached forward, ending the video. Everyone in the small room was silent for a long moment.

Shiro took hold of the device again, carefully cradling it in his human hand.

"So… Now…?" Hunk asked, breaking the silence.

"Mine is the next one…" Pidge whispered. She drew her legs up into the chair with her, curling into herself. "I don't know if I could handle it alone…" Shiro handed her the little recorder, and she gripped it gingerly with both hands like she was afraid it would break.

"You're not alone, Pidge. We're all here." Allura said with a smile.

"Here goes nothing…"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **HAHAHAHAHA I'M DYING!**

 **Semester finals are next week and I haven't slept more than an hour or two at a time since... Wait, it's _Friday?_ Fuck.**

 **Anyway, finals are killing me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I'm pretty sure my blood is like 95% caffeine by this point... Plus I'm in like the busiest part of the year! Goodbye sanity! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA _HELPME_ HAHAHA!**

 **Moral of the story, it might be a few weeks before the next chapter is ready.**

 **Until next time...**

 _ **-Ash**_


End file.
